Author: Vanessa

Nine MPs from across the political spectrum have signed a parliamentary motion demanding the government scrap the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, warning that billions of pounds are being wasted and thousands of lives lost under the current system.The Early Day Motion, tabled on 2nd June, marks 55 years since the Act received Royal Assent and argues it has “failed to reduce drug consumption” whilst drug deaths have reached record levels.Labour MP Grahame Morris, who sponsored the motion, was joined by colleagues from Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and independent MPs in backing the call for evidence-based reform.…

A study by students at the Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine has found that cannabis users show no significant difference in overall physical activity levels compared to non-users.The results, published by the University of Alabama, showed that cannabis users preferred light-to-moderate exercise, including brisk walking and team sports, over vigorous exercise, such as running, cycling or swimming.The study also highlighted how individuals have subjective experiences with cannabis and exercise, which researchers think could be due to differences in each person’s endocannabinoid systems.Of the 107 participants surveyed, 80 reported previous use of non-medical cannabis. Among these cannabis users, 46% had not…

Building a legendary brand requires more than luck. Berner, founder of the iconic Cookies cannabis brand, shows how vision, authenticity, and strategic risk shape lasting success. Starting from humble beginnings working in dispensaries and recording studios, Berner turned a passion for cannabis into a billion-dollar enterprise. His journey offers actionable insights for entrepreneurs aiming to create brands that endure, inspire, and scale globally. Berner’s Humble Beginnings When Berner first started Cookies, he said he didn’t even know what he was building at the time. His early days combined a love of music with a deep immersion in cannabis culture, working…

We’re not strangers to the rise of CBD at leafie. The cannabinoid was a core subject when we launched in 2019, shifting from a quietly whispered health trend to a staple on Boots shelves in five years. Now, researchers want to wrap your sandwiches in a plastic based on the cannabis compound.This isn’t the first time hemp has been tipped to replace petrochemical-based plastics, but this time the plant might actually solve a crisis it didn’t cause. New research from a team at the University of Connecticut and Purdue claims it’s cracked one of the biggest problems in replacing plastic…

Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in magic mushrooms, could offer a breakthrough treatment for cocaine addiction, according to a clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open.The study, conducted by researchers from various US and Swedish institutions, including Johns Hopkins University, found that those given a single dose of psilocybin combined with psychotherapy had more cocaine-free days over six months compared to those receiving a placebo. 30% of participants in the psilocybin group achieved complete abstinence throughout the study period, whilst none in the placebo group did so.“In this randomized clinical trial of 40 adults with cocaine use disorder, a single…

A study on male rats has found that two lesser studied cannabis compounds, cannabinol (CBN) and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), significantly reduced voluntary alcohol consumption, with effects lasting several days after treatment ceased.The research, published in Alcohol and Alcoholism, tested three phytocannabinoids – naturally occurring chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant – on rats that had been given free access to alcohol solutions over several months.All three compounds tested reduced alcohol intake, CBN and THCV proved most effective. CBN’s effects persisted for three days following the final injection, whilst cannabidiol (CBD) showed only minor impact on alcohol consumption.Rats were given free…

When Katie Pringle first entered the Canadian cannabis industry, she expected friction. New markets tend to come with rough edges. What caught her off guard was how familiar the imbalance felt. At early networking events, she often found herself as one of only two women in rooms filled with dozens of men, an incongruity for a sector that liked to position itself as progressive. “When we started in cannabis, we were the only women in the room a lot of the time,” Pringle recalled. “I would go to a networking event and there’d be me and my former business partner…

For the first time ever, flower is no longer king of the cannabis industry, with a new report revealing that in 2025 pre-rolls became the first product to surpass flower in terms of unit sales, taking the top spot. According to the State of the Pre-Roll Market Report 2026 from the Pre-Roll Experts at Custom Cones USA, more than 383 million pre-rolls were sold last year, up 18.6% from 2024. Pre-roll revenues topped more than $3.6 billion in 2025, a 9.8% growth over the previous year, the largest growth rate of any major category. In fact, 2025 marked the fifth…

A new study, published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science, has found that cannabidiol (CBD) can be an effective anti-cancer agent for dogs.Researchers from the University of Chile reviewed eight pre-clinical studies and found that CBD can prevent, stop, or significantly reduce the growth of cells in conditions such as lymphoma, prostate cancer and breast cancer.The studies showed that CBD can inhibit cancer cell growth and division and cause cancer cells to die by making changes to the cells’ internal communication networks.“Overall, these findings highlight the potential of CBD as an anticancer agent across different cancer types,” the researchers…

For hemp farmers, few guests are less welcome than the corn earworm. Named after its main source of food, the corn earworm is also a big fan of the hemp plant – particularly when their favorite meal is out of season – feasting on the flowers and destroying up to 60% of the plant’s yield. “They are known to eat the flower portion, which is the marketable part of the plant most of the time,” says Freweyni Abrha, a Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shores. Abrha has a Bachelor of Science in plant science, a master’s degree…